Suggest judge to probe Yusuf death, Omar tells Khurshid

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has asked the Union law minister Salman Khurshid to suggest the name of a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the death of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yusuf.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has asked the Union law minister Salman Khurshid to suggest the name of a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the death of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yusuf.

The move has come after the Jammu and Kashmir high court turned down the state government’s request for enquiry by a sitting judge.

Stressing the sensitivities involved in the matter, the chief minister had solicited an early response to enable the state government to form a commission, a statement from Abdullah’s office said.

On September 29, Abdullah summoned three persons including Yusuf to investigate complaints that his party workers were trading money for posts in the government.

Abdullah had said only after he realised that something was serious that he handed over the case to the crime branch of the state police. In the government version, Yusuf died in hospital of a heart attack.

Yusuf's family disagrees, and the opposition parties have launched a severe attack on Abdullah for the death.